Common Traits of The Most Successful Online Personal Trainers

Oct 13, 2016

By Tim Saye

There are many awesome trainers online, but how do you become one yourself? We have researched the top online PTs and found the various criteria which is common in many. Here's what we found to be the most common traits;



They Serve Not Sell

One thing that sticks out like a sore thumb for successful online trainers is that they serve their audience rather than sell to them. They find a problem which is specific to the target market and they solve it.

They give freely to their audience and share with them their knowledge and experience which rapidly builds trust.



They Practice What They Preach

One of the quickest ways to lose the trust of people is to be a hypocrite. The whole ‘do as I say, not as I do’ will not wash if you want to be an awesome online trainer. The best online trainers follow their own advice and they truly want to help others.



They Show Up Daily

They offer something to help their audience everyday, even when they don't feel like it. They don't make excuses and they are their for their audience in some shape or form on a daily basis. It's important to be consistent, so whether you choose email, video, social media - one way or another you've got to show up.



They Learn From The Best

They invest in themselves to learn from others that have done what they want to achieve already. Learning from those that have already done it will mean you waste less time, money and effort. It also means you have a bigger audience, if you're working with the best you'll increase your credibility.



They Have Social Proof

If you want to be successful online you need to be able to prove that you can get results. Testimonials, before and after pictures, training an influencer are all great ways to show you can help your audience. Having a system in place from the get go to get social proof throughout your clients journey will ensure you constantly have up to date proof.... Scheduling regular progress photos, assessments and asking your clients how they feel at each stage of the journey will give you all the proof you need. Then you just need their permission to share it, for this just asking works well!!


If you are a new trainer, you can offer a Guinea pig trial so that you can get social proof. I wouldn't suggest training people for free, I would suggest they do it in exchange for before and after pictures as well as a video testimonial. It is important to charge them so that they are invested and then you can refund them on completion. If they do not complete it at least you have some money for your troubles.



They Stand Out

It's important to stand out from the crowd. There are a few ways you can do this, but you have to just choose one way and stick with it. Be known for the one thing that makes you unique, whether it be price, reliability or results it's important to ensure every communication expresses it. You can also niche to create a strong identity. If you are known for training a certain type of client this will mean you are specialised and will be the ‘go to’ trainer for that demographic.



They Dominate

They are literally everywhere. Wherever there ideal client is they make an effort to be there. They work hard to ensure that their potential clients have many opportunities to work with them. From one piece of content, you can cover several social media platforms using a simple re-purposing system.



They're Picky

They don't just work with anyone. They don't just take everyone that comes their way. They have a strict pre qualification process so that only the people that are best fitting to work with them get to the next stage. Once they are sure they're ready to change they sign them in order to ensure they get the best results possible. They know who they work with is a billboard for their business so only want people,that are truly ready and willing to put either the work in.



They Know Their Numbers

I speak to personal trainers on a daily basis and they have no clue what their conversion and retention rates are. They don't know how much their leads cost and don't know where they're wasting money. The more you know and understand the easier it is to make improvements. Just improving one part of the puzzle will have a knock on effect to your profits.



They Give a Crap

They genuinely care about their clients and their audience. They go out of their way to help others and want to get them results. They regularly check in with their clients, even once they have left them. They still ask how they and their family are, they get to know their clients and adjust to their personality type.



They're True To Themselves

They don't comprise on their morals in order to make money. They stay true to their beliefs and are the real them. If you pretend to be something you're not people will see right through you. So be yourself it's so much easier, better to have people like you for who you actually are and not some fake person you made up. People buy into real people.



Have You Got What It Takes? Are you passionate about health and fitness and making it your mission to help others? Are you ready to work everyday so that you can help people all over the world? Are you willing to invest in yourself so that you can give your clients the best possible service? Are you resilient and thick skinned to keep going when times get tough?


If you have answered yes to all the above you can become an awesome online Personal Trainer. Follow the guidelines above and you'll be more than one step ahead.